Angels vs Demons: The Untold Story Of Tara Markov
by TokiioDoll
Summary: She was an ally, a friend, and a traitor. You thought you knew everything - but you were wrong. Watch her rise and fall, surpass those who sought to destroy her, and all for the sake of those she loved. Throwing away all things sacred and all that she was, she knew the risks, she took the chance, and she was determined to succeed... no matter the cost. This is her story. [Hiatus]
1. Prologue

**_Disclaimer: Teen Titans_ _© DC_**

 ** _Prequel to: The Story You Never Knew_** ** _(Told through the eyes of Tara Markov)_**

 **Where Butterflies Never Die**

 ** _(Broken Iris)_**

 _Multiply humanity, Harmonize insanity._  
 _Shedding light of remedy,_  
 _Pulling tides of clarity._  
 _Shattered glass, In flower beds._  
 _Humanize, Inhuman ends._  
 _It's all the same for the dreamers,_  
 _It's all the same for us._  
 _Float on_  
 _To the painted sky_  
 _Where dreams will be unified._  
 _As I'm swept inside,_  
 _Where butterflies. . ._

* * *

 **Angels vs. Demons: The Untold Story Of Tara Markov**

 **Prologue**

 _It was a war. A war that brought along the destruction of my people, of my family, and the beautiful land that was once Markovia. There was fire and bombs, people dying at our feet within the palace walls. The kingdom my father once ruled now fallen into ruins due to the attacks of an unknown army that sought only one thing - power. The power of my family, it's secrets, and the rare blood that only we possessed within our veins. We were the key to greater things, which was why many evil beings sought to claim us. All for their selfish desires. . ._

 _All for destruction._

 _"There's no time!" My brother's commands echoed from the underground tunnel we travelled in to escape. There was nothing left for us in this country, our home now gone. The only other options were to leave or to fight, and like cowards we chose the first while brave men and soldiers died for our safety. We were all we had now, this was my only family. My father dead, my oldest brother missing in battle, and now Brion, my last relative, was here with me to leave. So that we could be free, we could be saved by travelling into the America's. At least. . ._

 _That was what I assumed._

 _"Terra, listen to me." My brother kneeled down after spotting light at the end of the cave, placing both hands on my shoulders to meet my eyes. This was it, something bad was coming. I could feel it, I could sense it, all through those sapphire eyes. This. . ._

 _This would mark the end of our journey._

 _"You can't let them catch you, okay? If they do then you'll never be free - no one will." He warned me. My adolescent mind still unable to comprehend what it was he had been referring to, what the enemy was truly after. It wasn't safe to keep my guard down, I knew that, but there was more to it. More to what they were seeking, not just from our land, but from me. . ._

 _From my family._

 _"We're running out of time." The frightened voice of my nanny came over as she stepped in to take my hand._

 _"Brother, come with us." I cried, like any child would do if forced to say goodbye to the only person you felt you could lean on. He was it for me, the rock that kept me from floating away in the river of despair, and now he'd be gone. I knew he would, and I knew that somehow. . ._

 _We would never meet again._

 _"This woman will be your escort. You have to follow her and make it out of here alive." He instructed me, glancing up at the woman behind me before pulling me into his arms. I remember that moment so well, he was warm, he was shaking, not only for leaving but because he was heading back. He was going to search for Gregor, our brother, off fighting in battle if not dead. Which meant, I needed to leave. Even if he knew he'd be sacrificing his freedom, his life, he wouldn't listen to me. He wouldn't because he felt he was needed elsewhere. . ._

 _"We're all counting on you." He pulled away and smiled, a smile so warm and enchanting that more tears began to fall due to his radiance._

 _"Are you sure about this?" The woman asked, pulling me away from my brother as she stared out at the exit in fear and hesitance._

 _"Believe me, this is the safest route to the boats without being seen." He paused, glancing down at me for a second before he returned his eyes to her again, "They want our blood to complete their experiments. This is the only way. . ."_

 _"Please, brother!" I sobbed, pulling from the woman's hands to cling onto his leg, "Don't leave me too!" I begged, burying my tear streaked face in his torn jeans. Then, he did it again. He held me again, arms still shaking, giving signs that he was scared, he was uncertain. Yet, he still put on a brave face and smiled. . ._

 _"I promise, I'll come back for you when it's safe." He vowed, but he was lying. I could tell, because it was in his eyes. He wouldn't search for me, because he was certain he'd die back there. He'd die for his family, his people, his country, and I'd be the last remaining heir to a throne that would no longer exist. Alone, abandoned, with no one else to turn to. . ._

 _"Alright, enough of that!" The woman yanked me away, separating me from my other half, my best friend, my brother. It was too fast, too quick, and before I knew it he had gone running in the other direction, waving one final time with tears forming in his eyes. He vanished into the darkness, gone forever. And I would never see him again. I would never return here again. This. . ._

 _This was our final goodbye._

 _ **"Brother!"**_

My eyes flew open, my body drenched in a cold sweat as I laid quietly in my lumpy old mattress. Their was a draft blowing past me, making me shiver and wrap myself up even tighter in the tattered blanket placed over my body. The attic was always cold, dark, and quiet. No one spoke, no one moved, we didn't even dare to sneeze, despite the heavy dust in the atmosphere. If we did then there'd be noise, and that would awake the beast that owned this home. If she awoke, then there'd be no mercy. Which was why it was forbidden to upset her, to annoy her, even by laughing. Yet, that was exactly what was heard from the far end of the room. Not only was that strange, but it was odd that it came from the one girl who had never spoken, never smiled, and behaved like somewhat of a statue. She just obeyed her commands, did as she was told, yet she was smiling. She was laughing. . .

All because of _him_.

"I'm glad you finally smiled. It's nice." A boy with bright red hair whispered to the other girl. They were conversing with one another, something she had never done before. I would know, because in all the time I had spent here - she was always the same.

"It's nice to see someone smile?" She asked with a puzzled look directed toward the boy sitting in front of her. I couldn't see his face, and I couldn't get a clear view of him in the dark with his back faced my way, but it was strange to see them like that. He seemed normal, nothing special, yet she looked a lot more comfortable with him. . .

"Yeah, but it's a lot more fun to see your friends smile." He told her, her eyes big and wide in reaction to his words. She was shocked, and I felt I knew why. She was alone, just like me, but she was hurting far more. Even here, she had been the target for most of the cruel acts inflicted by the evil beast downstairs.

"I'm. . . your friend?" She asked slowly, as if scared to be rejected in someway. It was kind of funny seeing her behave timidly for once. After all, she was normally the one to take charge in situations. Almost like a leader, everyone knew she could handle everything alone. That was partly why they took advantage of her, letting her take the blame for most things. But it was different this time. . .

 _She_ was different.

"Of course you are!" The boy said loudly, making me jump at how quick and high he spoke. But then he reached for her hand, and she didn't seem to mind. Despite how much she hated the men that normally came into our home. She let him hold it, she let him take her hand in his, as she watched him for a long moment. She was studying him, like a newly found creature she did not fear but wanted to better understand. It was entertaining to watch them, because it made me happy to see her that way. After all, if she could smile like she had done moments ago, then that meant there was hope for the rest of us. And that's all we really wanted for once. . .

Hope.

"They're upstairs." We all heard the beast speak from down below. There were footsteps rushing, people coming for us, men ready to claim everyone. It happened so fast, the woman with fiery red locks stomping into our domain with a flashlight. Of course, she wasn't alone. There were men with her, as usual, but this time they were different. They gave off a suspicious vibe, all of them dressed in black suits with dark shades. It scared me. Anyone would have been scared as they skimmed through us with their eyes, our caretaker flashing her light on each of us in bed, until it stopped to land on the two who had been chatting all this time.

"What do you think you two are doing?" The beast looked over at the two with angry eyes, quickly rushing in to separate them by pulling the redheaded boy away, "You filthy child, trying to contaminate this innocent boy!" She yelled at the girl, carrying the boy in her arms before placing him into his bed.

"But I didn't-" The girl tried to speak, hoping to defend herself for once, but a frustrated glare was shot right at her as the woman swooped in to slap her across the face.

"How dare you talk back to me, you ingrate!" The beast growled at her, an unfair act that made my heart tear into two. This wasn't right, this wasn't suppose to be real, none of us deserved this form of torture. We were children, we were human, but we were treated like animals. No, worse. We were dirt. We were less than dirt. . .

We were her property.

"You can have that one too." She told the men after dragging the other girl by her hair and tossing her into their arms. "Alright, who's next. . ." We all trembled in hearing her speak, watching in fear as she walked by and pulled various children from out of bed. Then, as she got closer to my side of the bed, she stopped, flashed her light in my eyes, and grinned.

"You, Come here." She muttered, her hand reaching out for me as I pushed myself away from her.

"No!" I screamed, fighting against her hold on me as she dragged me over to the other children who had been pulled out.

"W-wait!" We all heard the redheaded boy scream, trying to jump out of bed as the beast held him back, "Rose didn't do anything! I swear it was-"

"Enough of that! Go back to your bed this instant!" She ordered him, yet he refused and kept trying to push away. But he failed to save her. He couldn't win against the adults, even after she gave the signal for them to take us away with the wave of her hand. And as we stepped out of the attic, as we watched the door slam shut behind us, we knew this would be the end. The end of all things normal, because despite how cruel she was to us, we could all feel that it'd be far better than what lay ahead. The journey we were headed in together, the fate we would all need to face, would be inhumane and unjust. . .

But still, we followed their commands. We let them take us out in the rain, tossing us into the back of old rusty vehicles, and sat in silence after they shut the doors behind us. At least, I tried to stay silent. But it was hard to fight the tears. It was impossible to not be scared in a situation where everything was unknown to us. Which was why I couldn't help but cry and sob alone. I knew people would hate me for it, I knew it'd risk getting all of us in trouble, but this wasn't the attic. This wasn't something I was prepared for - and I was just scared. . .

Because I had no clue what would happen next.

"Hey. . ." Someone whispered by my ear, catching my attention as I brought my head up slowly to search for the owner of the voice. And there she was, the girl from before, staring down at me in concern. Then she looked away for a second, pulling out a purple pendant from out of her pocket before taking and placing the small piece of jewelry in my hand.

"W-what is it?" I asked, wiping tears away to get a clearer image of the girl smiling next to me.

"It's a good luck charm. As long as you where it nothing bad will happen to you, okay?" She explained, scooting closer next to me.

"Really?" I asked, sniffling as I stared down at the necklace in my hand. I knew it wasn't true, I knew she didn't feel it was all that magical, but she was trying to help. Trying to make me feel better. Me, nobody, just a stranger she had shared a room with. . .

And a stranger she had saved once before

"I promise." She nodded, using her thumb to wipe away my tears. She was kind, she really was, and she had always been. Even if others couldn't see it, even if they looked down on her, she was my savior. And as she removed the blue butterfly clip in my hair to push my bangs out of my face, I knew that she would always be. . .

My hero.

"So you don't have to be afraid anymore." She whispered quietly, comforting me in my moment of weakness.

"Yeah right." Someone scoffed in the corner. A boy with dark skin eyeing us before he turned away.

"Don't listen to him, " She told me, smiling as a form of reassurance that everything would get better, "I'll protect you no matter what, okay?" She whispered in my ear, and I couldn't help but smile in response. And as she sat back to let me lay my head on her lap she stroked my hair gently, relieving my mind all together. There would be no time to cry anymore, no more moments wasted on being weak, I needed to be stronger. I needed to be more like her, and as I shut my eyes to fall into a peaceful slumber, I had a feeling this would be my last. The last night of peace, of relaxation, of even the tiniest bit of freedom. I knew, because it was obvious that wherever we were being taken. . .

 **It'd be far worse than the life we once had.**


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome To Hell

**_Disclaimer: Teen Titans_ _© DC_**

 ** _Prequel to: The Story You Never Knew_** ** _(Told through the eyes of Tara Markov)_**

 **"Sweet dreams (Are Made of This)"**

 _ **(Emily Browning)**_

 _ **Sweet dreams are made of this**_  
 _ **Who am I to disagree?**_  
 _ **Travel the world and the seven seas**_  
 _ **Everybody's looking for something**_  
 _ **Some of them want to use you**_  
 _ **Some of them want to get used by you**_  
 _ **Some of them want to abuse you**_  
 _ **Some of them want to be abused**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Welcome To Hell**

 _It was raining that night. My body drenched in the skies tears leaking from above. The city was strange to me, bright lights flashing on every corner. There were green ones, red ones, yellow ones, white ones, all in different colors. And the people there were different as well. It was like, stepping into another dimension. One I was not too familiar with. . ._

 _And that frightened me._

 _"Where are we?" I asked the woman yanking me toward an old, wooden, house on a hill. But I received no response from the lady who had once cared for me, raised me, and was sent to guide me to safety._

 _"Where are you taking me?" I asked again, her nails digging into my arm as she roughly pulled me closer._

 _"Shut up!" She ordered, eyes glancing back at me in anger, "I did my job. I got you here safely. Which means I've completed my duties." She hissed after arriving at the front door of the creaking home. She knocked on the door three times, each hard and loud to wake whoever was inside. Then, without any warning, she turned to leave on her own._

 _"Wait!" I cried out for her, rushing over to grab her arm, "Please don't leave me here! Please!" I begged, knowing very well that was what she was planning. There were no rules to tie her down to me, my father could not order her to keep me safe, nor could my brothers, but I had hoped she would try. I had wished she would care for me in their place. . ._

 _But I was wrong._

 _"Don't follow me!" She screamed, swiping her hand away to push me onto the wet cement. My body crashed hard, my knee scraped after hitting the floor, and it was hard to get back up. But when I saw a yellow cab pull up in the driveway, and I saw her reach for the money my brother had given her, I knew she wouldn't stay. And as she walked away I watched her leave into that yellow vehicle. I watched it drive down the hill and into the mist of the rain, darkness falling over them as I laid there until someone had come out of that house to take me in. My title, my identity, my past, my family, all of it was gone. I was nothing here, I was no one now, and the only thing I was certain about. . ._

 _Was that I was on my own._

 ** _"Please, don't leave me all alone again. . ."_**

My body shot up to escape another of my night terrors. A memory I couldn't stop from repeating over and over again in my sleep. Fortunately, I was able to forget it for a moment due to the aching, sore, pain in my neck. I wasn't sure what had happened, but it felt as if something, or someone, had bruised it terribly. However, the pain was the last thing I needed to focus on. Because when I looked around I realized. . .

 _She_ was gone.

I sat up in a white room, filled with hundreds of children sleeping or standing with me. They all seemed lost, confused, scared. And the men in black suits, blocking the doors with guns, didn't help make the situation any better either. But all I wanted to do first was find the girl I had hoped to wake up with. The girl who had saved me twice now, only to disappear again. . .

"Rose?" I called for her, walking and squeezing through everyone in my search for her, "Rose! where did you-" It was then that my body collided into another after my attempt in running through the crowd. We both fell on our bottoms, our heads aching after crashing in to each other. And when I opened my eyes to look over at the other child, I saw that it was a boy I had never met before. A boy with dark hair, pale skin, and soft emerald green eyes that I found strangely fascinating.

"S-Sorry. . ." He apologized, though he wasn't the one at fault, he offered me his hand to help me back up on my feet again.

"Me too." I nodded, pulling my hand out of his once the two of us were left standing, "W-Where are we?" I asked, hoping to get some answers from anyone willing to give them.

"No one knows. We've been waiting hours for -"

"Blondie!" A beautiful voice called for me, rushing over as a smile grew on my face in seeing her again.

"Rose!" I ran to her, hugging her back after being reunited again.

"I've been looking everywhere for-" She cut herself off to pull away when she looked down at me to ask, "When'd you learn my name?"

"Don't act so surprised." Another voice came in, it was the same boy with dark skin and deep brown eyes from the van we arrived in. He was in that house too, he knew who we were, what we'd seen, because he was one of us. . . "You were pretty popular back at the house after all." He said with a serious expression, hands placed into the pockets of his jacket as he chose to stand next to us.

"Heads up!" One of the men yelled, shooting his gun in the air to catch our attention. There, floating in the front of the room, was a hologram projected of a woman I did not recognize. She was tall, thin, with hair whiter than snow, skin wrinkled like paper, dressed in a white sleeved gown.

"Welcome, children. We've been expecting you." She began, sending shivers to all that heard her speak. You could feel it in her tone, danger, tragedy, _murder_ \- all things children should fear when alone.

"What the helk is this?" Rose muttered, stepping forward to watch the figure continue on with her introduction.

"I'm sure you're all confused about your current situation. I assure you there is nothing to fear so long as you cooperate with us."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Said the dark skinned boy standing beside Rose.

"So do I." She agreed, but their eyes focused only on the figure speaking.

"You have all been brought into this facility with the permission granted by the state government, to train you into becoming better beings of tomorrow. How you may be wondering? Well, through our program we offer the best training in order to shape you into obedient and strong-willed warriors. . ."

"Let me go!" A child yelled from the far end of the room, struggling to break free from the man holding him by his arm, "I wanna go home!"

"Wilson." The woman called a name, and with the snap of her fingers, a man entered the room soon after. He was tall, with a fit frame, very bulky that he looked almost like a monster. We didn't get a good look at his face at the time, but we did notice the eye patch he wore when he first stepped in. And as he sped over to approach the crying boy, he pulled out his gun, pointed it at the child, and without hesitating. . .

A shot was fired.

There was blood, but there was no more crying. We all froze where we stood after the child's body fell to the floor. This was madness, it was insanity, and none of us could say or do anything. We were simply pawns, we were trapped, and as long as we were children. . .

The adult's would always win.

"Any other interruptions?" The woman asked, smirking in receiving silence from all who watched her, "We are not here to hurt you. However, if you choose to disobey our rules and disrespect your home, you will leave us with no other choice but to do so."

"They're going to kill us." The boy with emerald green eyes whispered next to me, backing away in fear as my own forced me to stay put.

"I will admit that not all of you will be making it out of here alive. Only the strong will survive, only the best we will keep. That is your motivation in surpassing death. If you fail to keep up, then it will catch you. . . " She explained, stopping to hold out her hand as a tiny chip appeared and floated over it, "A chip has been installed into each of you standing here today. If you dare try and escape, though I doubt that could ever be attempted, let alone accomplished, this chip _will_ set off a signal that will paralyze you from the _neck_ down."

My heart raced as I grew more anxious and fearful of my fate. My hand placing itself on the back of my neck, still feeling bruised and aching at simply touching it for a second. We really were trapped here. Whatever they were planning, whatever was in store for us now, I knew it wouldn't be safe. This couldn't be home because this. . .

This was hell.

"There is no escaping, children. This is your home now. We are your family. . ." She paused, eyes watching over us until I felt as if they had stopped to look at me. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it or not, but I got the sense that this woman knew who I was. . . and that scared me.

 **"And if you want to live in it. You'll have to _fight_ for it."**

The message ended there. Her figure disappearing as the hologram faded away. And it wasn't shocking that almost immediately after, the entire room was filled with screams and cries. Children were panicking, they were scared, because they knew only a few of them would live long enough to reach the end. But I couldn't find it in me to cry, I couldn't even find the strength to move, my eyes just kept watching everyone in shock. Rose and the other boy stared at one another, angry and almost in sync, as if they were speaking telepathically to each other in that moment. But the boy with emerald green eyes, he wasn't strong like them, he wasn't still in shock like me, no - he was crying. He was panicking and struggling to breathe. But when gun fires were shot in the air again, it was easy to silence most of the children in the room.

"Everyone stand down!" They ordered, pointing guns at each of us to give out instructions, "All females exit down the back door. The males will stay behind and wait for further instructions."

"You guys better get outta here." The boy with deep brown eyes told us.

"This is insane. There has to be another way. . ." Rose muttered quietly, thinking to herself as she watched the men surrounding the room.

"You should know better than to carry hope." He said, pushing Rose toward me to get us out while we still had the chance.

"I'm not giving up." She told him before reaching out to take my hand, "C'mon blondie."

"W-wait!" The boy with green eyes pleaded, reaching for my arm to keep me there, "Please don't leave me behind. . ."

"I'll come find you as soon as I can." I promised, pulling my hand out of the girls to hold him for a moment. But I couldn't stay, I couldn't make him feel any better about this, no one could. We were all scared, we were all in danger, and as I was pulled away by the other girl to leave, I followed with a terrible feeling that I might not ever. . .

See that boy again.

"We're trapped, aren't we?" I asked after following all the other girls down the back door.

"No. I'm gonna get us outta here one way or another." Rose whispered, holding my hand as we entered into a dark hallway.

"Really?" I asked, gripping her hand as we were led further down.

"I'll figure something out, or die trying."

Those words put my heart at ease. But they were also troubling to hear, because I wasn't prepared to die. I wasn't prepared to fight or do anything of the sort. But I felt I would need to, and I knew that she was ready for it. Whether she was okay with it or not, she was ready to face whatever fate had prepared for us.

I knew she'd protect me, or at least she'd try, but part of surviving this would mean I'd have to figure most of it out on my own. And that scared me. The idea of being alone again scared me more than anything. But I was glad that someone was there to guide me halfway. I was glad someone was willing to help me this time. No catch, nothing asked in return, she just genuinely cared, and that was a kindness I knew I could never repay. . .

 **But I would one day try.**


End file.
